| Abstract: | Frozen ground is significantly stiffer than unfrozen ground. For bridges supported on deep foundations, bridge stiffness is also
measurably higher in winter months. Significant changes due to seasonal freezing in bridge pier boundary conditions require additional
detailing in order to ensure a ductile performance of the bridge during a design earthquake event. This paper reports the latest
results obtained from a project that systematically investigated the effects of seasonally frozen soil on the seismic behavior of
highway bridges in cold regions. A bridge was chosen and was monitored to study its seismic performance and assess the impact
of seasonally frozen soil on its dynamic properties. A Finite Element (FE) model was created for this bridge to analyze the impact
of seasonal frost. It was found that when frost depth reaches 1.2 m, the first transverse modal frequency increases about 200%
when compared with the no-frost case. The results show that seasonal frost has a significant impact on the overall dynamic behavior
of bridges supported by pile foundations in cold regions, and that these effects should be accounted for in seismic design. |
